Fellow Designer Members

Ritu Kumar (Fellow Member)

Ritu Kumar is one of India’s foremost designers, who has developed a unique style of her own. This reflects the ancient traditions of Indian craftsmanship in a contemporary vocabulary. With a background in art history and museology, which has enriched her horizons, Ritu’s understanding of ancient designs and the innovative use of traditional crafts, has created a new classicism.

Ritu Kumar holds the status of a revivalist brand in the Indian fashion industry, who has successfully bridged the gap between the traditional and the modern. However, her work today has gone much beyond revival – it is constantly evolving within an aesthetic which is sophisticated, both in the Eastern and Western sense, with each of her collections making a contemporary statement in fast changing, modern India.

Ritu, who began her work with four hand-block printers and two tables, in a small village near Kolkata, was the first woman to introduce the ‘boutique’ culture in India under the brand name ‘Ritu’. Today, she has outlets in all the major cities of India. Ritu’s boutiques feature multifaceted showcases which encompass the very best of Indian design, with a specially produced range of high fashion garments and accessories using silk, leather and cotton. Ritu’s range of Western and Indian apparel is all about tradition and individual talent, and women across the globe can easily identify with her vision.

Ritu has gone a long way in redefining the term “fashion” in the Indian context. While her forte lies in traditional Indian clothes that draw heavily on the textile and embroidery heritage of India, she has evolved a new style for the young buyer, a collection that, in her words, has “redefined traditional handwriting to meet the changing needs of the new generation." The inspiration of these garments is basic Indian motifs, prints and embroidery but using a wide range of Western silhouettes mingled with Indian styles.

Ritu Kumar has also been awarded the Padma Shri in 2013, the country's fourth highest civilian award, for her exceptional and distinguished service in the field of fashion, textiles and craftsmanship.